Published: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 12:21 a.m.

The national spotlight could shine on a South Carolina defensive end next season.

No, not Jadeveon Clowney. He’s already there. Instead it’s Chaz Sutton who could be in for a breakout year.

The rising senior quietly put together an impressive 2012 campaign, finishing second on the team with five sacks five despite seeing limited playing time behind Devin Taylor at the end spot opposite Clowney. Sutton started just one game but saw action in all 13 and finished with 25 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in addition to his five sacks.

Sutton will get a chance for an increased role this year, replacing Taylor as a starter. While teams are focused on Clowney, he should get plenty of chances to make plays.

“It opens up a lot for me because I think a lot of teams are going to slide to his side. That might leave me one-on-one with a back or a tight end, so that’s going to be helpful to me a lot,” he said.

New USC defensive line coach Deke Adams said that when teams concentrate on Clowney, Sutton and the rest of the line will have to make plays.

“The one thing I talk to (Sutton) about all the time is just really playing hard all the time. I put a lot of pressure on him. Everybody in the country knows what offensive linemen are going to do — they’re going to focus on one guy, and he has to be the guy, along with the other guys, that when they do that, he has to make them pay.”

Adams added that if the rest of the defensive line steps up to help Clowney, Carolina’s front will be almost unblockable.

“That’s one of the things that I’ve challenged all of our guys with is that (Clowney’s) going to get so much attention that we have to make teams pay when they leave us in one-on-one situations. Once we do that it’ll make teams play us a little more honest, and once that happens it’s going to open the floodgates.”

In addition to making plays on the field, Sutton also will be counted on this season as a team leader. He’s one of only four scholarship seniors on the roster, and with D.J. Swearinger, DeVonte Holloman and Devin Taylor moving on to the NFL, he’ll be counted on to take charge on defense.

“My leadership role is me just being one of the older guys and a lot of younger guys just looking up to me for advice, and just me coming out here every day and working hard and leading by example. That’s one of my roles and that’s how I want to fit in,” he said.

<p>The national spotlight could shine on a South Carolina defensive end next season.</p><p>No, not Jadeveon Clowney. He's already there. Instead it's Chaz Sutton who could be in for a breakout year.</p><p>The rising senior quietly put together an impressive 2012 campaign, finishing second on the team with five sacks five despite seeing limited playing time behind Devin Taylor at the end spot opposite Clowney. Sutton started just one game but saw action in all 13 and finished with 25 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in addition to his five sacks.</p><p>Sutton will get a chance for an increased role this year, replacing Taylor as a starter. While teams are focused on Clowney, he should get plenty of chances to make plays.</p><p>“It opens up a lot for me because I think a lot of teams are going to slide to his side. That might leave me one-on-one with a back or a tight end, so that's going to be helpful to me a lot,” he said.</p><p>New USC defensive line coach Deke Adams said that when teams concentrate on Clowney, Sutton and the rest of the line will have to make plays.</p><p>“The one thing I talk to (Sutton) about all the time is just really playing hard all the time. I put a lot of pressure on him. Everybody in the country knows what offensive linemen are going to do — they're going to focus on one guy, and he has to be the guy, along with the other guys, that when they do that, he has to make them pay.”</p><p>Adams added that if the rest of the defensive line steps up to help Clowney, Carolina's front will be almost unblockable. </p><p>“That's one of the things that I've challenged all of our guys with is that (Clowney's) going to get so much attention that we have to make teams pay when they leave us in one-on-one situations. Once we do that it'll make teams play us a little more honest, and once that happens it's going to open the floodgates.”</p><p>In addition to making plays on the field, Sutton also will be counted on this season as a team leader. He's one of only four scholarship seniors on the roster, and with D.J. Swearinger, DeVonte Holloman and Devin Taylor moving on to the NFL, he'll be counted on to take charge on defense.</p><p>“My leadership role is me just being one of the older guys and a lot of younger guys just looking up to me for advice, and just me coming out here every day and working hard and leading by example. That's one of my roles and that's how I want to fit in,” he said.</p>